The NBA’s ambitious 15-game slate on Monday brought a lot of exhilarating action to our screens but only one game where both teams were held to under 100 points, as the Dallas Mavericks pulled out a 96-94 win after Kevin Durant missed clutch free throws that could have tied the game up. Luka Doncic led the Mavs by scoring 36 of their 96 points on the night.
This is the second time Luka has come on top of a matchup with KD this season, both in terms of individual numbers and wins. He has had a historic start this season with the Mavericks being completely reliant on his heavy production. As a result, Chris Broussard has declared him a better player than Kevin Durant right now, also saying that Luka will have a better overall career than KD.
Is Luka on track to have a better career than KD?
"Absolutely. He's better than Kevin Durant [now]. Giannis is the best player in the world. Luka is second. … KD has never led his own team to a championship, and I think Luka will – multiple times." — @Chris_Broussard pic.twitter.com/ctG26INMr6
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) November 8, 2022
“Absolutely, he’s better than Kevin Durant… Now he is better, I don’t think people debate that. Maybe some. Giannis is the best player in the world, Luka is the second-best player in the world. Luka is a better all-around player. KD is a better defender but it’s not like KD was an all-league type of defender. He’s (KD) obviously a better shooter but I don’t know if he’s a better scorer. Luka is at 26.74 for his career and KD is at 27.2. Luka is gonna up. He’s a better passer, controls the game better than KD does, and a better rebounder. Obviously, KD has a title but he has never led his own team to a championship. I think Luka will do that multiple times.”
Calling Doncic better as of 2022 shouldn’t be too unpopular given Luka is entering his prime as a 23-year-old, whereas Durant is in a team with a new coach and 15 years of NBA miles on his body. Winning a championship isn’t easy in the NBA, so it is impossible to say that Luka will definitely be a multi-time champion and Finals MVP just yet.
Can Luka Doncic Have A Better Career Than Kevin Durant?
Doncic and Durant aren’t as far apart in terms of their career trajectory as many would reckon. Luka emerged as a possible MVP candidate in the league as a 20-year-old sophomore while KD won the scoring title in his third season in the NBA.
The only difference is that the OKC Thunder team Durant played for was building a fantastic roster whereas the Mavs Luka is on are more comparable to the Cavaliers teams LeBron James spent his early career at.
Luka is a dynamic guard that can impact the game in a more profound way than KD’s scoring can, which may lead history to look more kindly on him. However, performing at the level KD has for 15 years and winning 2 Finals MVPs isn’t easy at all. It’ll be interesting to see whether Doncic’s all-time potential is realized over the next few seasons of his career.
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